Intel Core i3-8100 Buyer's Guide
Positioning and generation
The Intel Core i3-8100 is a desktop processor from the 8th generation Coffee Lake architecture. On our site it sits in the older mainstream band. It has 4 cores and 4 threads with no Hyper-Threading, so it is aimed at entry-level to mid-range gaming and everyday use.
It includes integrated graphics, so a PC with this chip can boot and show a picture without a discrete graphics card. That integrated graphics is only suitable for light tasks, though. For most games you will still need a separate graphics card. By today's standards this is an older platform, so it makes more sense as a budget or stopgap choice than as a new build centrepiece.
Key specs explained
Four cores and four threads means the chip can handle four workloads at once. That is a workable floor for most games' main thread and background tasks, but in titles that spread heavy work across many cores, the lack of cores becomes obvious. Without Hyper-Threading, running a stream, recording, or many background programs alongside a game will feel tighter.
The Coffee Lake architecture is an older generation, so per-core efficiency trails newer processors by a noticeable margin. The integrated graphics handle office work, video playback and basic browsing, but for games the discrete graphics card does the visual heavy lifting. No other specifications are listed for this processor, so we cannot go into detail on clock speeds or cache.
Suitable games and resolutions
Against official requirements, our catalogue has 439 games with published requirements, and 416 of them can be resolved. This processor reaches the official recommended requirements in 146 of them, clears the recommended tier by a wide margin in 110, meets only the minimum in 105, and falls below the minimum in 55. In practice, the titles it handles comfortably tend to be simulation, management, indie and lighter action or role-playing games, such as Timberborn, Farthest Frontier, Shape of Dreams, and Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) 40th Anniversary Edition.
Demanding games such as Palworld, Scrap Mechanic and Gothic 1 Remake fall below its minimum requirements, so you may need to lower settings heavily or may not get a smooth experience at all. For resolution, 1080p is the sensible target. Pairing the chip with a suitable graphics card keeps the system balanced. Higher resolutions depend mostly on the graphics card, so the processor matters less there.
Compared with similar hardware
On our tier scale, it sits in the same band as the AMD Ryzen 5 2400G and Intel Core i5-7500, and one step below the Ryzen 5 1600. It is slightly above the level of the Intel Core i5-6600K, Intel Core i7-4790K and Intel Core i5-7400.
Within its own band, the Core i5-7500 and Ryzen 5 2400G are the most direct points of reference, with similar positioning and differences mainly in generation and platform details. Compared with the Ryzen 5 1600, this chip sits a little lower, so if your budget allows, the Ryzen 5 1600 gives more headroom.
Buying new or used
This processor uses the LGA1151 socket and needs a motherboard with a 300-series chipset. It is the launch generation for that socket, so you do not need a BIOS update on the board for this chip.
The boxed version includes a basic stock cooler; tray units do not.
This processor uses a land grid design: the pins are in the motherboard socket, so take care not to touch them when installing it.
Its multiplier is locked, so it cannot be manually overclocked.
When buying used, check the chip for physical damage and ask the seller for proof of purchase and its warranty status. If you buy new, choose a seller that offers a clear warranty, and confirm the motherboard and chipset are compatible before assembly.
Upgrade advice
If you are on something older and games stutter regularly, moving to a newer platform usually gives more benefit than swapping only the graphics card. Worthwhile upgrade targets include the Intel Core i7-7700K, AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and Intel Core i3-10100F, all of which sit clearly above this chip and are the same or a newer generation.
When you upgrade, keep the graphics card and memory in balance. A strong processor will still be held back by a weak graphics card, and too little memory will drag down overall smoothness. Work out where the bottleneck actually is before deciding whether to replace the processor, the graphics card or the memory first.